permanence

From Middle English permanence, permanens, from Middle French permanence, from Medieval Latin permanentia, from Latin permaneō (“I remain; last”).

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɜɹmənəns/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɜmənəns/

• Audio (Southern England):

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permanence (countable and uncountable, plural permanences)

1. The state of being permanent.
   • 1923 February 11, Mme. X. [pseudonym], “News of Chicago Society: Now That War’s Over, On with Full Dress, Men”, in The Chicago Sunday Tribune, final edition, volume LXXXII, number 6, Chicago, Ill., →ISSN, →OCLC, part 7, page 5, columns 6–7:

     To foreigners we often seem guileless and overchatty, an impression which is dispersed when they find that much of our friendliness is just the ebullition of the moment and does not carry with it any permanence of devotion.

   • 2025 September 17, Conrad Landin, “Decarbonising Scottish transport”, in RAIL, number 1044, page 39:

     Transport Scotland acknowledges that the permanence of the new fares regime could be the clincher in persuading people to "travel more often and make long-term choices with certainty, helping people to leave the car at home".

2. (physics) The reciprocal of magnetic inductance.

• (state): perdurance, remanence; see also Thesaurus:permanence

• (antonym(s) of “state”): transience
• (antonym(s) of “state”): impermanence

• object permanence
• semipermanence

• impermanence
• permanent

Borrowed from Medieval Latin permanentia, from Latin permaneō (“to remain; last”).

• IPA^(key): /pɛʁ.ma.nɑ̃s/

permanence f (plural permanences)

1. permanence (state of being permanent)
2. homeroom (classroom or classes)

• en permanence

• permanent
• impermanence

• → Romanian: permanență

• “permanence”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012